Archbishop Cupich: dialogue with Muslims more important than ever

There is an “urgent need to cultivate positive dialogue” with Muslims, Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago said in a statement.

The prelate, who serves as co-chairman of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue, stated:

The report “Danger & Dialogue: American Catholic Public Opinion and Portrayals of Islam,” recently published by the Bridge Initiative, a research project on Islamophobia based in Georgetown University’s [Saudi Arabian financed] Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim – Christian Understanding, raises serious questions about how Catholics view their Muslim brothers and sisters.

“When there is no attempt to learn more about one another, we see an increase in the tendency to be negative about those who are different from ourselves,” he added. “This diminishes all of us, as we face increasing incidents of religious intolerance across the globe.”

Acknowledging that “no one should dismiss the real threats that some Muslims who embrace a radical ideology, such as the members of the Islamic State, present to people of all faiths,” Archbishop Cupich said that it is “incumbent upon Catholics to recognize and raise up the positive voices from the Muslim world who clearly reject violence by practicing and teaching an Islam of peace, compassion and mercy.”